Name: Kate Cooper (no nicknames)
Birth Date: 7/25/65
Place Grew Up: Bryn Mawr, PA
Current Residence: Northern Arizona
Current Profession: Owner, Kate’s House of Fitness, Personal training studio & sports supplement shop
Credentials:

• ACSM & ACE certified
• Undergraduate Degree, Exercise Science
• Graduated with 4.0gpa & perfect attendance record

Previous Professions Included:

• Cardio Kickbox Instructor - AFAA certified
• Owner, Placitas Pet Services: pet-sitting company
• Silversmith: Designed, produced, sold own line of silver jewelry (originally majored in metals at University of the Arts, PA)

Measurements: (Cold, Not Pumped)

• Chest w/ Lat Spread 43.5”
• Thighs 23.5”
• Arms 15.5”
• Calf 15.5”

Favorite Cheat Foods: Cheesecake, Bread, Pastries, Cookies, Pancakes
Favorite Diet Foods: Toasted Nuts, Nut Butters, Eggs
Best Bodypart: Back
Toughest Bodypart to Get Results: Legs & Glutes
Favorite Things to do When Not Training: Spend down time with my boyfriend/life partner/ best friend Larry, Eat, Sleep, Watch Movies, Hike
Passion Other than Bodybuilding: Animals of all kinds! Used to own & operate non-profit corporation to help lost pets get re-united with their families and wrote monthly newspaper article on animal –related topics

Now I volunteer 1 morning a week to walk dogs at the local animal control. They enjoy the time outside in the fresh air and the more socialization & leash training they get, the more adoptable they are. I enjoy the time outside myself & it’s always fun to get to know all the different personalities there!

Pets: 2 short-haired indoor cats both rescued from “death row”

• Mr. Apollo - grey tabby
• Ms. Bugg - calico tabby

Favorite Music: Rock - from classic to contemporary pop
Favorite Color: Bright, Dark Purple
Favorite Movies: Too many to list & very varied, but off the top of my head - Pulp Fiction, Twelve Monkeys, The Color Purple, Steel Magnolias, Singing in the Rain (LOVE Gene Kelly!)

Some things People May Be Surprised to Know About Me:

• I was a strict vegan for over 10 years. For a couple of months before my 1st competition in 2001 I started to eat egg whites & whey. After that competition I ate whole eggs and some dairy. From the end of 2001 to 2003 I added in seafood. Then came poultry. In preparation for the 2007 Nationals I started to eat red meat for the first time in over 22 years!
• I am a Quaker, born & raised. My roots go back to before the time of William Penn. In a nutshell, this means I am a pacifist (do not condone violence of any kind), believe there is goodness in every individual and do not believe in trying to impress through material possessions.

How I Got Started in Bodybuilding:

I was not athletic in the least as I grew up. I have exercise-induced asthma so I was not good at any sports in school. I was always picked for D-squad and running would leave me light-headed, nauseous, wheezing & coughing. I just thought sports were not for me so I was more into eating junk food & hanging out with my friends.

The odd thing is that from the time I can remember I always wanted to be a muscular female. I had no outside influence of any kind. I had never seen female bodybuilding. I didn’t read any of the muscle magazines or even comic books, whose heroines are often muscular women. Somehow I just had an innate desire to build muscle. When I finally did discover the world of bodybuilding I was instantly intrigued! I was raised to be a strong, independent female so maybe this desire was just a re-interpretation of that. After all, a female bodybuilder is the outward image of a strong & independent female.

By junior year in high school I was able to opt out of sports in school in favor of going to a small neighborhood gym where I had my first opportunity to do weight training. I found there was something of an athletic nature that I could participate in and enjoy! For too long I was told by trainers and others not to even attempt bodybuilding as that wasn’t a feminine pursuit. Building muscle was not for girls! Finally I found someone who encouraged me and could train me for competition. From day one I loved the tough workouts! Even the strict dieting came naturally to me. I didn’t train for or enter my 1st competition until I was 35 years old! It took a while to find the time required to dedicate to the gym and to be able to afford everything associated with competition (gym & trainer fees, posing suits, supplements, …). As I continued to build mass on my frame I just kept thinking that the image in the mirror was more closely reflecting who I always felt I was on the inside.

Bodybuilding is a lifestyle, not just a sport. It requires full dedication and strict discipline. It overwhelms just about everything else in your life as workouts, meals & rest all need to be precisely timed and included in every day throughout the year. I love the workouts. I love seeing my physique change & progress with time. I love watching the detailed daily changes in the body as competition approaches. I love challenging myself to always be better the next time out. I love learning more & more about the human body and what it is capable of accomplishing through practical application. I love realizing that my physique is a constant work in progress. My passion is bodybuilding and without that true passion I can’t imagine competing in this sport!

What I Would Like to Accomplish in Bodybuilding:

I would like to become a pro and then at least qualify to stand on the Olympia stage just once. I would be satisfied with placing at the bottom if I could just get the honor of sharing that stage with some of the best females this sport has produced!

I would like to represent this sport as a female who is strong, independent, intelligent, accomplished, feminine & sexy without having to present myself as a sex object.

Special Thanks to:

Trainer Extraordinaire Charles Glass, Diet Guru Dave Palumbo, Hair/Make-Up Talent of Colette Nelson, Fairfax Hackley for encouraging me to the national level, Kim Cooper for training & posing help with my 1st shows (& for info I use to this day), the fabulous team of bodywork practitioners - Chiropractors, Alan & Kathy Beeson and the hardworking hands of Massage Therapist, Ginnifir Miller, Elena Seiple for her time & effort to help me with posing (I’m still working on it!) & for being a major inspiration

To my family - thanks for keeping up with my progress and sticking in my corner and especially to my mother for being open to learning about a sport many mothers would have trouble having their daughter involved in & for always having my back and to my brother Chip for so closely following my career and always being in my cheering section

To my friends & fans - without your continued support and encouragement I would probably have thrown in the towel long ago

But most of all thanks to Larry - my boyfriend/ life partner/best friend who I depend on daily for emotional support & encouragement as well as a training partner and soundboard. I would not get through the trying times of training, dieting or competing without his help, understanding and patience. I truly could not do what I do without him! Thanks for sharing my life and my passion!